Lazio return to Formello on Monday afternoon with Gennaro Gattuso seeking to restore the sharpness that carried his side through the opening weeks of the season. After two days away from the training ground and a low-key friendly against Juve Stabia, the coach has set his attention on Monza, the first step in a stretch of fixtures that could shape Lazio’s position before the next international break.
Key takeaways
- Gattuso has brought the squad back together at 16:00 on Monday following a two-day rest period.
- The coach felt Lazio lacked their usual edge in Saturday’s friendly with Juve Stabia.
- International players will return later in the week, allowing the full tactical build-up for Monza to begin on Thursday or Friday.
- Dele-Bashiru has rejoined the group, while Marusic and Cancellieri are expected to follow.
- Lazio face Monza, Juventus, Parma, Sassuolo and Cagliari before travelling to Napoli ahead of the next pause.
A fuller group and a return to standards
Gattuso wants Lazio to resume from the point at which they entered the break: with conviction, energy and the willingness to play without being burdened by the table. The win in Venice, achieved despite a depleted squad, remains the reference point. His message is that the standings should provide momentum rather than create anxiety within the club.
The coach admitted after the Juve Stabia match that his team had looked below their best, saying they had appeared “a little flat”. The friendlies and careful management of players carrying minor physical problems are now behind them. The priority is to regain the intensity and athletic condition shown across Lazio’s first five league matches, apart from their poor Coppa Italia display.
Gattuso has closely followed the international commitments of his players during the break, keeping a daily record of their minutes. Provstgaard completed a full match, while Mandas remained an unused substitute for four games. Frattesi completed his international schedule on Sunday, and Sutalo is due to finish his duties on Monday before returning to the club.
Gudmundsson has already come back early after suffering a shoulder dislocation. Within the next 48 hours, Lazio’s staff will assess the condition of the whole group and establish who can be involved against Monza.
Dele-Bashiru is back in training, with Marusic and Cancellieri next in line to return. Rovella will also attempt to move closer to full fitness. More caution is required with Cataldi, whose quadriceps fatigue has kept him from completing athletic preparation with his team-mates.
A favourable run that still requires discipline
On paper, Lazio have been handed a manageable sequence after the restart, but Gattuso knows the calendar will mean little without the right response on the pitch. The tactical work for Monza will properly begin once the Nations League contingent has returned, most likely between Thursday and Friday morning.
The forthcoming programme gives Lazio an opportunity to build rhythm:
- Monza at home on Sunday
- Juventus away on Sunday, 18 October
- Parma at the Olimpico on 24 October
- Sassuolo away in the midweek round on Tuesday, 27 October
- Cagliari at the Olimpico on 1 November
- Napoli away before the following international break
The trip to Juventus is clearly the sternest examination in that sequence. Yet the remaining matches offer Lazio the chance to turn a favourable fixture list into a meaningful run of results, provided they recover the personality displayed at the beginning of the campaign.
Gattuso’s demand is a balance of humility and boldness: feet on the ground, but no retreat from the courage that has defined his Lazio so far. With returning players set to deepen his options, the next five matches can become more than a convenient passage in the schedule. They can show whether Lazio have the consistency to sustain their early promise.
